


Tiger Eyes

by SkyeSentinels



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Hojo is creepy, Human Experimentation, M/M, Multi, until now at least
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-13
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2018-09-08 07:58:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8836660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkyeSentinels/pseuds/SkyeSentinels
Summary: Skye has been caged for as long as she can remember. When she gets a taste of freedom, a chance meeting could change her life.
In which five SOLDIERs adopt one of Hojo's experiments.





	1. Chapter 1

A lone figure crept its way through the lower levels of the Shinra building, hiding where it could when guards patrolled too close. As they rounded the corner, the figure was off like a shot, sprinting silently through the halls looking for a set of stairs or even an elevator. Another pair of guards entered the figure’s line of sight. The figure cursed in its mind before dodging behind an unnecessarily tall plant. As the guards passed by the figure’s hiding place, a small hand darted out and grabbed a keycard off of a guard’s belt.

_Must be Thirds._

Slipping the keycard into a hip holster next to the figure’s beloved weapon, the figure scanned its surroundings again and darted away with feline grace. An animalistic smirk graced the figure’s features when it laid eyes on two silver elevator doors. The light above the elevator indicated it was heading to the figure’s current floor, so the figure hid around a corner just in time as six more guards exited the elevator at a hurried pace. The guards were armed but luckily headed in the opposite direction of the figure.

_And there go the Seconds._

Before the elevator doors closed, the figure used all of its available stealth to race into the elevator. The figure caught its breath before pushing the button marked R. A panel blinked red at the figure, presumably for an access keycard, and the figure all too happily swiped its stolen keycard. The light blinked green and the elevator started to move upwards. Finally taking the time to straighten its appearance, the figure looked up into the elevator’s reflective doors.

The figure was undeniably female with her curves and soft facial features, indicating she was in her late teens. Her skin was pale but not unhealthily so with a slight orange hue. Her eyes were a sight, gold with slitted pupils like a cat. She had pearly white teeth with too sharp canines that border lined fangs in length. Her braided hair reached her lower back; her hair was blonde, almost orange, with black stripes weaving vertically down through the braid. She wore a sleeveless black turtleneck and skinny black pants; custom black combat boots with retractable toe spikes covered her feet. Covering her hands and lowers arms were fingerless armored black gauntlets, each with two filled materia slots. She carried a reinforced sword harness across her back where two black-handled, orange-bladed scimitars rested crisscrossing her back. On her right hip was a holster for her beloved three bladed, WEAPON-forged hand claws.

Her personal inspection over, the young woman deemed herself normal looking enough, for Shinra anyway, and anxiously watched the light indicating where she was heading. When the light finally reached the R and the elevator doors opened, the girl darted out but immediately stopped to shield her sensitive eyes. The roof offered her no protection from the dying rays of the sun as it slowly sank into the horizon. When her eyes adjusted to the light, the girl was in awe of the sight her first sunset made. Being confined to the lower levels of Shinra for most of her life, the girl had never seen an actual sunset before and she was captivated. With her overly sensitive ears, the girl could faintly hear the sounds of men yelling and feet pounding.

_Probably the search party. Hojo’s going to be so pissed. Oh well. Nothing I haven’t endured before._

With a sigh, the girl continued to drink in the sight of Midgar from above the plate. At the sound of the elevator ding, she turned around to meet her jailors but was surprised to see two men she had only seen before in personnel files she had secretly looked at when Hojo had left during an experiment. She was almost speechless at their appearance except for one word.

“Shit.”

~~~~~

Earlier in the halls of the SOLDIER 1st offices, two blurs raced passed other SOLDIERs at a breakneck speed. The blond blur was screaming profanities at the black-haired one in front of him, who just continued to cackle like a madman. The raven-haired man abruptly changed direction, causing the blond to slide on the floor in an effort to follow, and headed towards one of the private offices. The dark-haired man hastily opened the door and was about to dive inside but he was tackled to the ground by a small blond and put into a headlock.

“Zackary Fair! If you weren’t the only one I could beat in a spar, I’d kill you!” the blond yelled.

The black-haired man Zack wiggled out of the blond’s grip and clutched his uniform over his heart dramatically. “Oh Spike! You wound me! Are spars all I’m good for for you?”

“Of course,” was the immediate reply.

“But Spike-!” A loud clearing of someone’s throat cut off Zack’s reply and the two SOLDIERs on the floor turned to the man who had made the sound.

Behind his mahogany desk sat the General Sephiroth looking annoyed at being interrupted by his two youngest lovers while he did some of the paperwork that had piled up after his last mission. Sitting on one of the couches in the spacious office was SOLDIER 1st Class Commander Angeal Hewley calmly polishing his famous Buster Sword with a bemused expression on his face. Another couch held the Crimson Commander himself, Genesis Rhapsodos, holding his worn copy of Loveless, no doubt reading it for the millionth time, as Rapier rested propped up against the couch’s side. He wore a wickedly amused expression and had put down his beloved book in order to watch the show the General was sure to provide.

And he didn’t disappoint. Sephiroth pinched the bridge of his nose in an effort to combat the oncoming headache before speaking.

“Would either of you two SOLDIER 1st Classes care to explain the meaning of your childish antics? Cloud?”

Zack tried to interrupt but Cloud quickly clamped a hand over his friend’s mouth before speaking.

“Zack is an idiot, Seph. He’s convinced the regulars that I’m an experimental human-chocobo hybrid. None of them will talk to me anymore and they keep giving me weird looks. I finally cornered one today and got the story from him. Now can I beat him up? Please, Seph?”

Sephiroth let a small smile crawl onto his face near the end of the explanation. Honestly, the antics of these two.

“Now Cloud, you cannot beat up a Puppy. That is animal abuse.” Cloud frowned. “However, you can…train it.” A particularly sinister grin split Cloud’s face that Zack didn’t like the look of so he hid behind Genesis’s couch.

“Gen! Save me!”

Genesis looked up from his position lying on the couch to Zack and lazily smirked at the hyperactive Puppy.

“Puppy, you need to calm down. It’s just a little obedience training. Believe me it’s not that bad. Then again, the Chocobo will be your trainer while mine was Angeal. Hmmm. Good luck Puppy!” Genesis was smiling mischievously by the end of his statement, and Zack paled.

“Alright, I think that’s enough. The Puppy is scared out of his mind.” Angeal decided to step in before Zack fainted from fear or had a heart attack.

At this point, Cloud couldn’t hold it in anymore and howled with laughter. He was joined by Genesis and Angeal let out a few snickers. Sephiroth cracked a smile at the antics of his four lovers, shaking his head in amused disbelief. The moment was broken when Sephiroth’s office phone rang. The General quickly sobered as well as the other four men. Sephiroth picked up the receiver and put it to his ear.

“Hello?”

‘General, it’s Lazard. One of the Science Department’s experiments has escaped and they received permission from President Shinra to mobilize all SOLDIERs to find it and bring it back alive due to the unique nature of the experiment. I don’t know all of the details but apparently it’s one of Hojo’s and he wants it “back in its cage” to use his words. I know the Commanders are with you and I plan to contact Fair and Strife after this.’

“That will be unnecessary. Strife and Fair are here. I will inform them.”

‘Is that so? Alright. The Thirds and Seconds are sweeping the labs and lower floors. Firsts are covering the upper floors so you’ll join them. We don’t know what this experiment is capable of so stay alert.’

“Of course Director. If that is all?”

‘Yes.’ Lazard hung up and Sephiroth placed the receiver down.

With their enhanced hearing all of the SOLDIERs in the room heard the conversation loud and clear. Genesis was already strapping on Rapier and Angeal had his Buster Sword on his back when Sephiroth stood. He grabbed Masamune and strapped it on. Cloud and Zack took down two standard SOLDIER broadswords from a case in the office for emergencies such as these and placed them on their back harnesses. With everyone armed, Sephiroth spoke.

“Cloud, Zack, check the executive floors. Genesis, Angeal, check the roof. I will check the private apartment levels. We do not know this creature’s capabilities so stay on guard.”

“Don’t worry Seph! This’ll be a piece of cake and we’ll be done in time for dinner!” Zack said to lighten the mood. It seemed to work and the five men marched out of Sephiroth’s office, thinking of the promise of dinner.

Cloud and Zack decided to start their search on their current floor and took a hallway away from the elevators. The other three stepped into an elevator going up, swiping a keycard with practiced ease. Not a word was said and soon Sephiroth stepped off into the private apartment level, leaving Genesis and Angeal alone.

Angeal was frowning deeply at the thought of an escaped and potentially dangerous creature loose in the building. He hoped no one was hurt during the process of catching the beast. Genesis looked at his childhood friend and lover frowning and gave him a peck on the lips, hoping to ease the worry lines on his face. Angeal’s eyes flew open in surprise and stared at Genesis.

“Don’t worry Angeal. Everyone will be fine. We just have to catch the thing and everyone will be safe and sound back at the apartment tonight to enjoy your cooking.” Genesis didn’t like seeing Angeal frown so he always did what he could to make Angeal smile instead. His efforts were rewarded with a relaxing of Angeal’s knit eyebrows and a small smile. Angeal gave Genesis a thankful nod and looked towards the opening elevator doors onto the roof.

The sight that met the two Commanders was not what they were expecting. Instead of a hideous, deformed creature, there was only a young girl of maybe 16 or 17 on the roof. The girl had eyes like Sephiroth, only gold instead of emerald, and her hair looked striped. And she was _armed_. Two scimitars rested on her back and she had a hip holster that contained something metallic but Angeal couldn’t make out what it was.

Genesis watched the strange girl with suspicion as momentary surprise and maybe _fear?_ flitted across her face before she schooled her features neutral. He only knew one other person who could control their emotions to that degree and this girl was almost as good as Sephiroth. The girl opened her mouth and swore under her breath, almost soft enough that their SOLDIER hearing couldn’t pick up.

“Shit.”

~~~~~

The girl could not believe her eyes. Instead of the Thirds or Seconds that were usually sent to bring her back to the labs, here were the two Commanders of Shinra. She identified Genesis Rhapsodos easily; the red coat and Rapier were dead giveaways for the Crimson Commander. Angeal Hewley was readily identifiable as well with the huge Buster Sword across his back. She schooled her features to indifference so they wouldn’t be able to sense what she was thinking. She caught the Crimson Commander’s knowing look and knew she hadn’t been fast enough.

The two men slowly stepped out of the elevator as Hewley seemed to be whispering something to Rhapsodos. She could only catch the occasional word of “…stay back…child…talk to her…” over the sound of the winds on the roof. Rhapsodos looked like he was _pouting_? But he stayed back while Hewley slowly approached her. He raised his hands to indicate he meant no harm but the girl knew SOLDIERs, especially Firsts, had enough strength to kill her using only their bare hands. She tensed up and Hewley stopped walking forward.

“We aren’t here to hurt you. My name is Angeal and that’s Genesis. What’s your name?” Hewley was talking to her. _Talking to her like a person_. The scientists never talked to her like she was a human only referring to her as ‘Specimen Sk’ or “it’ never giving her an actual name. She was also never encouraged to speak to others without severe consequences. She honestly didn’t know how to respond to Hewley but she was determined to give _some_ kind of answer to the first person to talk _to_ her, not _at_ her.

“Specimen Sk.” She said quietly, her voice slightly out of use. Hewley frowned but it didn’t seem to be aimed at her. She glanced at Rhapsodos to see he wore the same expression and was staring at her. The girl quickly looked away from the Crimson Commander to look back at Hewley. He seemed to be thinking something over before coming to a decision.

“I don’t think that’s a good name for a girl like you. Do you have something you call yourself?”

The girl shook her head. “Doctor said names are bad. Not for experiments he said.”

Angeal’s frown deepened and Rhapsodos looked ready to set something ablaze. The two men looked at each other and seemed to have a silent conversation before Genesis nodded and turned back toward the elevator, pulling out a PHS as he did so. Angeal focused back on the girl.

“Why are you up here?”

The answer was soft, almost silent, “Wanted to see sky. Sunset.” The girl was nervous. _Would he punish her for escaping? No. Hewley seems nice. He treats me like a person._

Hewley smiled at her. “Yes, the sunsets up here are very beautiful. You should see them in my hometown. They’re even more beautiful without the smog we have here.”

She tilted her head. “Hometown?” She had never heard that word before. Hewley seemed to understand her confusion and explained.

“A hometown is a place where you are born and raised by a group of people who live in the same community.” She kind of understood that. It was like a birthplace only it sounded warmer somehow.

“Where is your ‘hometown’?” The word sounded foreign to her tongue but she found that she was fine with that.

“Banora.” Rhapsodos answered her question as he strolled over to Hewley and whispered in his ear. She caught words like “…cloud…zack…coming…Sephiroth…elevator” The last name screamed at her. The Doctor talked about Sephiroth every day and constantly told her of how she was a failure while he was perfect and would kill her on sight for her imperfection. And that Sephiroth was _in the elevator_! The girl seized in fear and began to slowly back away in the direction opposite the elevator. Hewley noticed her change in demeanor instantly.

“What’s wrong? Our three friends are just going to join us up here and talk. Nobody is going to hurt you.”

“Liar!” she shrieked. _Sephiroth. Perfect You. Failure. Sephiroth is going to kill you._ The girl put her hands to her ears in an effort to block out the voice but it was no use. She only looked up when she heard the elevator ding and out stepped her worst fear.

There in his signature leather coat was the Great General Sephiroth, his long silver hair whipping around like a banner behind him. The girl inched even farther back, coming to a stop when she bumped into the railing on the roof’s edge.

Hewley turned towards the General but kept one eye on the obviously terrified girl. “Seph, stay over there.” The General complied and stayed near the elevator, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. Hewley turned back to her.

“Sephiroth isn’t going to come any closer, okay? He’s going to stay right there. Can you come back from the edge please? Just a little bit is fine.” Hewley tried to reassure her but the girl could only look at the Silver General who she was sure was going to slice her up any minute just for existing near him. He was staring back at her with an expressionless mask but she could see the fury in his eyes.

_Oh Gaia. This is how I’m going to die. Oh GaiaGaiaGaiaGaia! I just wanted to see the sky, the REAL sky! Just once! Just one time!_

As her mind spiraled farther and farther out of control, her body unconsciously leaned away from the General. The elevator dinged again but she didn’t register it because at that moment her feet left the rooftop and her body tipped over the railing. She heard Hewley and others shout but she didn’t know what they were saying. She only looked up at the sky as she fell.

_At least I get to see the sky as I die._

She was about to accept her fate but a hand around her wrist stopped her. She hung over the side of the building and stupidly looked down. _Too high!_ She took her free hand and grasped for the red gloved hand around her wrist.

“Stupid girl. You better appreciate this. I think you tore my coat.” She looked up into the face of Genesis Rhapsodos and held on as he pulled her up. She sank to the ground on the other side of the railing, not paying attention to Hewley checking her for injuries or the two new men crowding Rhapsodos. Sephiroth had come closer but was keeping his distance in an effort to appease the girl but still wanting to make sure she was unharmed.

When Hewley deemed her unharmed, if a bit shaken up, he stood up and his place was taken by a younger man with spiky black hair.

“Hi, I’m Zack! Are you ok? What’s your name? Where’d you get those cool swords? Did Gen’s grip hurt you? Do you mind if Seph comes closer? He doesn’t show it but he’s concerned. Right, Seph?” The last question was aimed at the General who gave a hesitant nod. “See? So can he?”

The girl didn’t know what to say in the face of such an energetic person so she gave a slight nod. Rhapsodos _had_ just saved her life. Surely if the General wanted her dead she would be, right? _Right?_

“Are you unharmed?” The General was closer now and was addressing her. Should she answer? She reluctantly looked up into those glowing mako eyes.

“I’m fine.” She immediately looked back down and rubbed the wrist that Rhapsodos had gripped; it was already turning an ugly purple from bruising. The General saw the movement and frowned.

“Your wrist is injured. Genesis cannot control his strength on occasion. You should get it healed.”

“I’m fine. This is nothing, nothing at all.” The girl didn’t see the looks the five men shared, but looked up when Zack took her injured wrist and motioned for Rhapsodos to come closer. He pointed to her wrist and Rhapsodos took out a small green sphere that glowed. _Materia_ , her mind supplied. Rhapsodos cast a Cura with it and the ugly bruises on her wrist disappeared, leaving it good as new.

“Thank you.” The girl was appreciative for what Rhapsodos had done, even if he was the cause of her injury. Zack smiled at the girl and held out a hand to help her up. She took it and was hauled to her feet, where she came face to face with a blond she hadn’t noticed before.

“Hi, I’m Cloud. I’m glad you’re okay.” Cloud smiled at her and she found herself tentatively smiling back. “What’s your name?”

The smile fled her face and she looked down. “Specimen Sk.”

“Do not refer to yourself that way.” Her head shot up to look at the General. _Did he just-?_

“Seph’s right! A pretty girl like you should have a pretty name!” Zack was looking at her now, as were the other four. She furrowed her brow in thought. _A name?_ She shook her head.

“How about Skye?” Hewley suggested. “You came up here to see the sky right? That’s why you escaped?” She nodded. _Skye. Like the air above me that can create such beautiful sunsets. Skye. Skye. Skye._ The girl smiled and turned towards the five men.

“My name is Skye. It’s nice to meet you all.” Her greeting was met with approving looks from the three older men and full blown smiles from Zack and Cloud. The moment was broken when the General’s PHS rang. He answered it with a grimace at the caller ID and everyone could hear Hojo on the other end of the line.

‘Where is the Specimen, boy?! You should’ve been able to find it with little trouble! Where is it?!’

“My apologies Doctor. I shall return it as soon as it is apprehended.”

‘You better! And I don’t mind if you break a few bones when catching it; that should teach it a lesson to not run away! When you find it, gag it immediately! Don’t let it speak! It’ll disrupt the data on my latest experiment!’

“As you wish Doctor.”

‘Good. Now go find it, boy!’

Hojo hung up and Sephiroth pocketed his PHS. His eyes turned to the small girl in front of him and the furious men surrounding her.

“I can’t believe that freak! Treating her like some animal! I ought to set him on fire and run him through with Rapier!” Genesis exploded. The others looked murderous as well but tried to control themselves.

“It’s okay. I’ll go back.” All eyes turned to the girl who looked much too small in that moment. “I just wanted to see the sky, that’s all. And I even got a name too.” Skye gave them a forced smile. “Today has been more than I’ve ever dreamed. Thank you all so much.” She bowed to them like one of her books had taught her, to show gratitude. Skye straightened up, put on a determined face, and walked over to the General to be taken back.

“Wait! You can’t go! Hojo’s a creep! You can’t go back to him!” Zack tried to stop her but she shook her head.

“If I don’t go back, you might get in trouble and I don’t want that. Thank you, Zack. I’m glad I met you, all of you.” Skye pushed past Zack and stood in front of the General. “I’m ready.”

Sephiroth frowned at her but nevertheless turned and walked back to the elevator, Skye hot on his heels. Hewley, Rhapsodos, Zack, and Cloud followed as well and they all miraculously fit into the elevator. As it started to descend, Skye poked Rhapsodos who was right behind her. He raised an eyebrow and looked down at her.

“Would you mind tying this around my mouth? I need to be gagged remember?” She took out a black strip of cloth she usually used to tie up her hair and held it out. Rhapsodos stared at her but took the cloth and hesitantly tied it around her mouth but not too tight. When he was done, she nodded her thanks and turned back around. She didn’t notice Rhapsodos lean into Hewley or Hewley who gripped Rhapsodos’s shoulders tightly. Zack was looking at her sadly from her left and Cloud was doing the same from her right. She ignored them and focused on the rigid back of the General, whose shoulders were stiff as if he was restraining himself.

The elevator reached the lower level labs and the doors opened to reveal Hojo surrounded by twenty Thirds. The group of six moved out of the elevator and the General stepped aside to give Hojo a clear view of Skye. Hojo smiled evilly and motioned for the Thirds to restrain her. Hands grabbed at her roughly, stripping her of her weapons and attaching metal restraints. She stood with manacles around her entire lower arms, two Thirds holding her still as Hojo stepped forward to strap a muzzle with a spiked bit onto her mouth. The spikes dug into her tongue and gums and blood started to drip from her mouth.

Zack and Rhapsodos looked like they were going to jump to her aid but were held back by the General and Hewley respectively. Cloud stood frozen to the spot, looking pale.

“It’s about time you brought it back, boy! I knew you’d bring it back, after all you are perfect and it is full of flaws!” Hojo emphasized his point by smacking Skye in the face, jarring the bit and causing more blood to leak out. She gave a pained groan as she felt the spikes dig deeper into her gums.

“Take it back to its cage! No food or water! Go!” Hojo ordered two Thirds who scooped up Skye and carried her away. Hojo looked back at the five Firsts.

“I trust you won’t divulge what you’ve seen today right? After all, the project is above your clearance. Pretend you saw nothing. Boy, remember your appointment in two days.” With that, Hojo turned and scuttled the same way the two Thirds had taken Skye.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit shorter but I wanted to get something out for the new year (even if it is a day late).

Sephiroth practically had to drag Zack back to the elevator, ignoring the impulse to turn back around and retrieve the girl. Angeal dragged Genesis as well, knowing the man had already become attached to the girl just like he had but they couldn’t act. _Not yet_. Cloud robotically followed his older lovers into the elevator, the image of the spiked bit replaying in his mind. Sephiroth pressed the button for their private floor and swiped his card for access, holding Zack with his other arm as he did so. Sephiroth had seen and been subject to Hojo’s cruelty before but never had he seen Hojo act with such needless ferocity. He had experienced Hojo’s personal brand of discipline but what he had seen today was a whole new level of cruelty. That bit was designed to cause pain, tearing into the flesh of the mouth if the girl had so much as swallowed.

Beside him, Zack was clutching his leather coat with a white knuckled grip; his eyes were screwed shut, no doubt to fight back tears of anguish as he buried his face in Sephiroth’s leather folds. Sephiroth looked to his other side to see Cloud still staring blankly at the elevator floor. Sephiroth wound an arm around the petite blond’s shoulders and pulled him closer. He had been getting better at comforting according to Angeal and he hoped this would help Cloud. Unfortunately Cloud did not respond to the touch beyond leaning slightly into Sephiroth’s side, his eyes still unseeing.

Behind the trio, Angeal was attempting to calm his fiery lover. Genesis looked absolutely murderous, his eyes blazing fire. In his hand, Rapier glowed faintly red in response to its owner’s fury, fire dancing along the edges ready to be released. Angeal put a hand over Genesis’s, guiding him to sheath his sword before any damage was done.

The elevator opened causing the five men to shuffle out and enter their shared apartment. Within the privacy of their home, Cloud’s legs refused to support him any longer and he dropped to his knees, frustrated tears leaking out of his eyes. Zack sat down next to him, his own tears having been dried, and pulled the blond close. Leaving the two youngest men, Sephiroth turned back to Genesis who was being restrained by Angeal, kicking and screaming.

“That BASTARD! I’ll kill him! A bit, Angeal! A SPIKED BIT!! What kind of sick person does that to a little girl!?!?!?” Genesis was beyond reason, almost breaking out of Angeal’s grip but was instead passed to Sephiroth. Angeal took away Rapier to hide it while Sephiroth held Genesis, stroking his red hair and softly kissing his forehead.

“Genesis, you need to calm down. There is nothing you can do for her now. You just need to-“

“Calm down? CALM DOWN?!?! That bastard is torturing her! It’s bad enough he still works here, but he’s still using human subjects!! She’s going through what you did Seph! Maybe even worse if what he said before was any clue! How can you say that we can’t help her? How can-?” Sephiroth had heard enough and decided to silence Genesis with his own mouth. They kissed, separating when Genesis had stopped screaming into the kiss.

“Are you calm?” Genesis nodded. “As I was saying, there is nothing we can do _now_. We need to be patient, Genesis. Hojo will no doubt run to the President if we attempt to rescue the girl. We need to tread carefully; this is not like the fiasco with Hollander where you could just threaten him for information. We must be delicate. However we will rescue the girl, just not this minute.” Sephiroth looked to the fiery man in his arms and saw understanding in his eyes.

“Alright then. The rescue is postponed. What do we do in the meantime?” Zack looked up at them from his place on the floor with Cloud, hope in his eyes. Cloud seemed to have recovered as well, determination igniting a fire in his blue eyes. Angeal walked over from where he had been near the bedroom door and helped the two young men to their feet; all three turned to the other two.

“I have an ‘appointment’ with the Doctor in two days. I will attempt to find out where she is being kept and glean information from the Doctor. Zack, are your Turk friends currently on missions?”

“Hmmm. I know Reno and Rude are on standby and… I think that’s it. Everyone else is either busy or away on missions.”

“Good. Contact Reno and ask him to look into the Doctor’s activities.” Zack nodded with a determined look.

“Angeal do you mind paying a visit to Tseng and asking his opinion on this matter. He has helped us with situations like this in the past and I am sure he will cooperate with us again.” Angeal dipped his head in acknowledgement.

“Genesis, keep your head down. The Doctor has never been fond of you and with Hollander gone he will use any excuse to hurt you. This means you don’t go near the labs for the next week or so. Will you do this for me?” Genesis turned his head away from Sephiroth but gave a slight nod of acceptance.

“What about me Seph?” Cloud looked up at the silver haired man with expectant eyes.

“Cloud, you are the least well known out of us all” Cloud frowned, and Sephiroth gave him a small peck on the forehead. “Do not look like that. We are going to use your anonymity to our advantage. As a new First, you are unfamiliar with most of the scientists. You will use this to listen to what they say and see where they go without them being suspicious.” Cloud nodded his head in understanding.

With plans made, Angeal headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner, dragging Cloud with him as the only other competent cook of the fivesome. Genesis sprawled out on one of the living room couches, still slightly pouting until Zack joined him and turned on the TV to play a movie. Sephiroth moved to sit on another of the couches and pulled out a book to read, reveling in the relative calm of the night before the storm of scheming that was soon to take place.

~~~~~

The girl _Skye_ slowly opened her golden eyes when she heard the door of the lab beep open. She never really slept anymore, more often falling into a state of meditation when her body was too exhausted to stay alert. She had developed the instinct to be constantly alert early in her years, never knowing where the pain would come from next.

Skye heard footsteps behind her now, tightening the straps holding her in place on the vertical metal examination table. She swallowed nervously, forgetting about the bit in her mouth, and was punished for her negligence when the spikes dug into her gums once more. The wounds from the reinsertion of the bit reopened and bled freely onto the floor.

A click of the tongue from the other in the room helped her identify them as one of the Doctor’s lackeys, probably disgusted with the mess on the floor. The scientist circled around to stand in front of her and begin to check her vitals dispassionately. After that he commanded her to go through the motions of the experiment. He told her to swallow, hum, and finally attempt to talk, all with the bit still firmly in place. Skye had no idea what this experiment was testing but it was so damn _painful_.

Blood pooled on the floor in front of her as it dripped off of her paper-thin hospital gown. Writing down the results, the scientist swept out of the room with a sneer.

Left alone once again with her thoughts, Skye thought back to the past. _Had it been hours or days?_ When she had met the first people to treat her as more than just another Specimen, going so far as to give her a _name. A name!_

Hewley had seemed so kind and gentle despite his intimidating stature. Worrying over her after she had almost fallen and giving her a name. _Skye_. It was a pretty name, just like Zack had said. Thinking of Zack, he seemed to be so full of energy and happiness, kind of like those baby dogs she had seen in a book. Like a puppy. The blond one Cloud didn’t look much older than she was, maybe a few years, but that might have been his height. He had seemed friendly if a bit shy, not that Skye had any room to talk. And Rhapsodos, he had seemed to become attached to her pretty quickly after he saved her, getting angry for her sake despite barely knowing her. And the last of the group… Sephiroth.

The General wasn’t anything like Skye had imagined. Sure he looked exactly like the photos Hojo had left around the lab, but he was completely different personality-wise. Instead of the ruthless and cold man she had expected, he was just awkward when dealing with people like the kind of awkward you get when you don’t socialize often. He was kind if the looks he gave the other men in the group meant anything. He had even expressed concern over her wrist, which led to the biggest revelation. _Sephiroth didn’t want to kill her_. He didn’t think she wasn’t worth it to breathe the same air he did. He wouldn’t skewer her with Masamune just for being near him. Gaia, it had seemed like he even cared about her wellbeing!

The thought warmed her and Skye’s eyes drooped when she felt the new cocktail of drugs enter her system. Her thoughts became muddled and despite her best efforts to stay conscious, she slipped into darkness.

~~~~~

Sephiroth exited the elevator to a floor he was intimately familiar with. The labs were a maze of rooms but the silver haired man navigated the hallways with ease, stopping when he came upon Hojo’s personal lab. Without knocking the General stepped in to see the creepy scientist, who _still_ insisted he was his father, bent over what looked like lab results from various files on his desk. Sephiroth’s superior eyesight allowed him to zero in on the file near Hojo’s elbow with the name ‘Project Sk’ near the top. Sephiroth memorized what he could see of the file, planning to make sense of the calculations later. Hojo didn’t even look up from his writing when he ordered Sephiroth to sit on the examination table in the corner of the room.

Sephiroth slowly made his way to the table and sat, keeping Masamune sheathed by his side. Ever since the Hollander incident with Cloud, the five Firsts never went near the science department unarmed. Hojo had tried to talk Sephiroth into leaving his beloved sword behind when seeing him but the General had adamantly refused time and again.

Hojo looked up from his work, noticing Sephiroth’s impatient look, and stood up to start the examination. Hojo checked his vitals and reflexes before taking three syringes of blood.

“Has anything significant happened that should be brought to my attention, son?” Sephiroth bristled at the last word but kept his face devoid of any emotion.

“No, Doctor. Nothing.”

“No headaches? Or side effects to your injections from last week?” Sephiroth frowned. It looked like Hojo wanted him to say yes for some reason.

“No Doctor. If that is all?”

“Ah yes I almost forgot. You’re not still thinking of that failure, are you?”

“No Doctor. What failure are you speaking of?” Hojo smiled creepily.

“Good boy. You shouldn’t waste your time on it, especially since it has been taken care of.” _What?!_

“Taken care of, Doctor?”

“Yes, it shouldn’t last much longer now. What with the added stress and all…” Hojo continued to mumble to himself, turning back to his file-covered desk. It was a clear dismissal and Sephiroth took it, sweeping out of the room and heading to the elevator.

Once inside the glass box, Sephiroth pulled out his PHS and sent a text to his four lovers.

‘ _She does not have much time._ ’ Before he could put the device back in his pocket it chimed with a reply.

‘ _We need to talk. I’ve got some info. I’m in the apartment_.’ Cloud.

Sephiroth pushed the button for their floor and swiped his keycard as the elevator ascended. It was time to plan a rescue.


End file.
